When I was a sophomore in high school on vacation with my family, I decided I wanted to get as tanned aspossible. To my disappointment, it rained for most days, and on the last one, I was still as pale as I had been when I arrived. Even with thelimited time I had left of my holiday, I decided to sit outside all day sans suntan lotion. The result? A
disgustingly red sunburn that lasted for weeks. Honestly, the degree of my sunburn scared me so much that, from then on, I have been so much more careful about using sun protection. Don’t worry, I’m not going to preach to you about the importance of sunblock in this article. Instead, I’m going to give you suggestions about new ways to protect yourself this summer.
If you’re opposed to using a lotion for your face (and you’re willing to splurge), try PeterThomasRoth Clinical Skin Care’s mineral powder sunblock. It comes in SPF 30 and 45 in a tube with a brush similar to a makeup brush. It won’t make your skin feel greasy at all because it’s just like applying makeup. If you reapply it often, it’ll be just as effective as any liquid sunblock. The next time you’re at Sephora—probably carrying a mountain of new beauty products in your cart… it always happens, doesn’t it?—remember to stop by the skincare section to pick up the mineral powder. Yours for thirty dollars.
If that’s too costly for you, you can always use an oil free lotion from a drugstore… or start a new trend: wear sun protective clothing. Knowing how many fair skinned Aussies exist (models Miranda Kerr, Catherine McNeil and Abbey Lee Kershaw, to name a few), it makes sense to listen to the expert advice from down undah. Coolibar is a clothing brand that takes its name from the eucalyptus coolabah, an Australian tree that can survive in the heat and dryness of the outback. Every piece of clothing that Coolibar makes is UPF 50+ with 98% UV Protection.
Everyone knows that it’s important to put sunblock on your body and face, but if you’re spending the entire day at the beach or out in the sun, you should also protect your lips. You can dab a tiny bit of sunblock on your lips, or just use a chap stick that has SPF in it. According to bubbley_bubby, a self-proclaimed YouTube Beauty Guru I found in an Australian Vogue forum, Bonne Bell is a reliable lip saver: “have one in a red tube… it’s clear and very thick but I like it. It’s meant to be SPF30.” Two other users in the thread also mentioned that they are Bonne Bell fans.
It’s definitely not a crime to go without sunblock, and you wouldn’t be a fool to be slathering your body with lotion every thirty minutes on the beach. Do what you think is right. I leave it to you.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Brown chapter.